


The River Can't Save You

by Lilia_ula



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Bokor Kylo Ren, Dark Voodoo Rites, Dark and Dreamy, Extremely Dubious Consent, F/M, Nary A Redemptive Word Shall You Find, New Orleans-esque, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rey Needs A Savior, Spells and Assorted Black Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-11 00:46:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16465478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilia_ula/pseuds/Lilia_ula
Summary: The world of the Deep South: Antebellum, spanish moss, dark water and darker magic. Rey has recently moved from the big city in search of a quieter life. After a rough break-up, she makes a fateful decision to visit the local bokor, a practitioner of dark voodoo, and is swept headlong into a surreal landscape of black magic, obsession and lust.





	The River Can't Save You

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer! Cultural, geographical, architectural, botanical and arcane inaccuracies shall abound, for I have never visited the South nor do I practice black magic. Authorities in the field are welcome to school my unlearnt ass anytime.

 

 

 

_She was an angel, of that he was sure._

 

_No mortal could ever embody such divine grace. Ethereal light hovered about finely-sculpted limbs, clinging to her as if in recognition of its own kin. Her skin was sun-kissed porcelain, and she moved with a fluidity that had him wondering if her feet even touched the ground. Standing hidden amongst the moss-spangled cypress, he watched in mesmerized silence as she waded through the thick fog of the riverbank, ghostly tendrils of mist lapping worshipfully at her thighs._

_An angel come down to walk the earth, unable to fully hide her celestial origin in the form of a mortal girl._

_Droplets sparkled like tiny stars set amidst the darkness of her tousled mane, and her lips were a cupid's bow, sweet and luscious as to cause him true pain. As he stared, they parted beautifully; a perfect pink rose dying to be cut._

_The sight of such temptation broke through the enchantment that bound him, and the slithering darkness finally stirred, uncoiling and shaking itself awake. It was a belated reaction by any standard. The sheer beauty of her otherworldly perfection had achieved the impossible, taking him off-guard. But now, his constant companion had returned, all feral, hungry eyes and sharpened claws as it considered the angelic being before him with glee._

_He stalked forth into the river of mist, watching intently for any reaction to his presence. She stood in profile, looking down at the hidden body of water that flowed beneath the fog, unmoving. As he neared, a beam of morning sun slipped through the canopy, backlighting her in glorious gold. He inhaled sharply, pausing his trajectory to trace the revealed lines of her slender curves, silhouetted against the sheer linen shift that clothed her. A rare draft of wind shivered through the Spanish moss, sending dew to rain about, tiny diamonds that dusted her bare shoulders like freckles of light. Again, he was distracted by the uncanny beauty of the moment, pausing in uncharacteristic doubt as she finally turned to acknowledge him._

_Her gaze lifted slowly and met his, time_ _ceasing along with his heart. In the stillness, he took in the lurid facets of her eyes, shards of flecked green and gold, mysterious and otherworldly. The light played over her upturned face as she regarded him without expression, completely unafraid. This only served to affirm his suspicions, as people always reacted to his presence to some degree, and he now stood but a foot away from her, well within the bounds of what was comfortable space._

_Watching her carefully, he reached out, his long fingers gently, insistently sliding around her wrist. Those dewy lips parted in a slow, quiet gasp as his touch broke through her stasis. Her eyes widened, revealing even more of their stunning tapestry of color. The surreal feeling of them floating, of this being a part of some celestial vision suddenly crash-landed jarringly onto terra firma._

_She was warm._

_“Human,” whispered the darkness._

_Surprise passed quickly from his face, replaced by an exhilarated thrill. There couldn’t be a more rapturous discovery. All of the warmth drained from his eyes as they cooled to soulless black, correlating with his hardening resolve. He knew what she saw as the first faint expression of worry clouded her lovely features, knew as her brows furrowed, her troubled gaze tracking the change on his face as it devolved into a mask of predatory hunger._

_Now came the deepening shadow of concern as she tried to retract her wrist, too late realizing how his gentle, exploratory caress had locked in an inhumanly strong vise. His darkness was fed by the build of her worry, the ruby race of blood in her veins, speeding ever faster beneath his fingertips. He inhaled, the familiar power born of negative emotion sizzling within him, energized by the glorious epiphany of her mortality._

_He could feel how her anxiety peaked in a foaming crest to crash down upon her as true fear, making her weak as his other hand slipped about the small of her back, hard fingertips splaying possessively into its deep curve. His grip tightened, reeling her into him like the caught thing she was._

_Her delicate palm splayed over his pectoral, pressing uselessly as she was crushed against him, her soft curves giving to the hard planes of his body. Staring down at this mortal angel pressed so preciously to him, he felt the surge of adrenaline take him as her lips parted to scream, pink and perfect. He shivered, his darkness slavering in anticipation of the exquisite sound._

_So sweetly did she acquiesce, her pure voice ringing through the morning air in unadulterated fear. It echoed across the bayou and through the trees, causing droplets to fall from the boughs overhead, as though all of nature wept for her…_

 

Her hauntingly glorious cry still echoed in his mind as his eyes opened to the sight of his darkened room, the dream receding. 

His mouth fell open, gasping for breath as his hands anchored themselves in bedsheets. There in the humid darkness, he sat up, dark eyes wide as he regained his bearings and willed his heart to steady. He could still see the fear in her glorious eyes, feel the softness of her petite curves pressed tight against him...he focused, brows furrowing as he reached back through the ethers for any clues, but she was gone. A muscle in his jaw ticked in annoyance. _It wouldn’t do._ He had to know if she was real or merely an invention of his mind--a phantom of conjured perfection.

Breathing in through his nose, he took in a draught of night air, holding it, imbuing it with the focus of his desire. Exhaling with a forced hiss, he contracted his core and began the trance. His eyes rolled back as they slipped shut, body going rigid as he trained his mind on the uncanny dream, hunting with single-minded determination for any sign that would point to her being a reality, needing so desperately to know...

Shadows grew translucent and faded away as the soft light of morning filling his second-story bedroom, painting his white walls rosy. He saw none of it, absorbed as he was. The sound of birdsong fell on deaf ears as he strained, crouched amongst a ruin of sheets in the center of his massive bed, trembling fingertips braced against his temples. The light of day filled the ornate rooms with their high ceilings, breathing life into the gracious antebellum house, yet he remained, unmoved except for the drip of sweat and tremor of muscles.

The sun was cresting the tops of the live oaks when he collapsed at last, the breath leaving his body with a frustrated cry. Only then did he succeed, eyes widening blindly at the ceiling as he beheld the object of his desire.

He could see her, his mortal angel, so beautiful in her pale yellow dress.

She walked beneath a familiar canopy of live oak, her dark head down as she moved with singular determination. His brows furrowed as he detected her mood; she was troubled, pensive. Those luminous eyes were darkened, and she wore an aura of dejection about her like a shawl. His interest, already keen, whipped itself to a razor’s edge.

Her shadow was long and skittish where it trailed behind her in the late afternoon light, flickering over manicured boxwood hedges and stone urns dripping with creamy gardenias...his breath caught in his throat. The vision had shifted downward, his lense becoming that of an animal trailing along at her heels. His powerful hands curled into slow vises, crushing handfuls of linen as his heart began to pound. He hung on each hesitant step she took as she climbed a set of three brick stairs, his breathing heavy as she passed between pale greek-revival columns and over a sweeping veranda. Her dainty ballet flats paused before an ornate screen door, and he heard the familiar rap of a heavy brass ring as she knocked twice...

His delight shattered the silence, drifting down the halls like smoke, directly opposing the hopeful light of morning.

 

She was coming _to him_...

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I really really really wanted to get this going well before Halloween...alas. I am ever on island time.


End file.
